Conveyors used in food packaging and beverage factories are required to transport corresponding vessels. Beverage factories have also started using recycled water from bottle washers for treatment of the conveyor track. These conveyors are often conveyor belts and chain conveyors that may need adequate lubrication which does not interfere with performance or quality of the products. Recycled water can be from pre-final rinse bottle wash tanks where the water is recovered using sand filtration, disinfection, activated carbon filtration, de-aeration and sodium ion exchange to remove alkalinity. Some plants may use reverse osmosis techniques to remove sodium hydroxide. De-alkalized water is then mixed with fresh water to provide the required demand. The ratio of both water qualities varies as well as the levels of potential process critical anions like sulfates or phosphates (carried over from bottle washing detergents) and therefore some plants do not consider this recycled water for conveyor treatment. Also, current lubricant compositions often have problems with anion tolerance in recycled water and/or performance issues, furthering the decision to not use this recycled water for conveyors.
Specifically, lubricants may form precipitates when exposed to recycled water that contains high levels of anions, such as sulfate and phosphate. Lubricants can also have free fatty acids, which can degrade floor grout in a factory. Further, lubricants may be unstable in the presence of preferred isothiazolinone types of non-oxidizing biocides.
Sustainability has been gaining more prominence and it is expected that all beverage plants will implement a water recycling plant as several prominent beverage plants have already started using recycled water. Thus, a lubricant formulation that could overcome all of the above-mentioned limitations would offer an improved lubricant formulation that would be very beneficial for use with conveyor belts and chain conveyors. The presently disclosed matter offers an anion tolerant lubricant which has improved lubrication performance.